Hypnobirthing - Interview with Claire from The Nurture Nest

In this episode Zoe speaks with Claire from the Instagram account @the_nurture_nest. Claire is a hypnobirthing teacher, blog writer and also hosts the very successful 'The Hypnobirthing Podcast'! They talk about all things hypnobirthing, Claire’s own birth and how this led to her training to teach hypnobirthing herself to then help other women in the ways it helped her.   KEY TAKEAWAYS   Claire met her husband when she was just 16 and they have been together ever since. They have been through most of lives milestones together and have truly grown up with one another. When Claire was pregnant with her first she was understandably nervous. She looked into hypnobirthing after speaking with her mother in law who is a trained midwife. Claire did a hypnobirthing course and then ultimately decided to have a home birth. Claire laboured at home for most of her birth but she had been in labour for such a long time she was exhausted and so decided to go into hospital for a bit of extra help. She was so pleased she got to do most of the birth at home but because of her hypnobirthing course she felt prepared and positive about the final outcome too. Claire’s second birth was quite different, her waters broke at home but she didn’t develop contractions afterwards so went into the hospital to be checked. Everything was ok and she went back home and had surges develop late that evening. She had her second daughter quickly at home. Hypnobirthing draws on knowledge, especially around the physiology of birth, this in turn makes birth feel less frightening. Hypnobirthing also focuses on the mind and what an important role it plays in birth, if your mind is scared then this will affect your ability to give birth. Hypnobirthing isn’t necessarily a pain reliever, but what it does is give you mechanisms to manage any pain and discomfort you may experience in birth. A big role of a birth partner is to advocate for you, so they need to know you wishes and wants in birth as well as learning with you. Due dates are not as scientific as we are often led to believe. Only 5% of babies are born on their due date and a staggering 80% of babies are born after 40 weeks. The main issue with this is that the mother can become stressed and anxious once hitting her due date, therefore affecting her oxytocin levels which is key for birthing. A due month or due window would be so much more helpful.       BEST MOMENTS   “I felt quite prepared for every kind of situation”   “Although it wasn’t the outcome you wanted you are really positive about it”   “It felt so surreal that we were just at home left to our own devices”   “Hypnobirthing is just birth before we came along and messed with it”   “It’s about empowerment” VALUABLE RESOURCES   www.petalscharity.org www.tommys.org www.arc-uk.org www.sands.org.uk       ABOUT THE GUEST   Claire - Hypnobirthing @the_nurture_nest Podcast: The Hypnobirthing Podcast     ABOUT THE HOST Zoe Cresswell Devoted mother of two (and a big hairy dog), UK trained midwife, doula and personal trainer, specialising in pre and postnatal fitness. Zoe was born in the UK and before moving to Dubai in 2013 and worked as a midwife in central London, both in a birth centre and a very busy NHS hospital. Although late to the scene, Zoe is an aspiring athlete having won numerous triathlons and representing Great Britain where she placed within the top 10 on the world stage. With her husband James, the couple will soon be launching their cloth nappy company, Bop & Bee, where they hope to inspire families to swap a few disposable nappies a day for the more planet friendly option of cloth. Zoe’s goal is to share her knowledge and experience, tell real life stories, manage expectations and open up those often difficult conversations. Zoe’s own motherhood journey has been full of twists and turns as she put everything on hold and went through numerous miscarriages and rounds of IVF.   CONTACT DETAILS Instagram : @zoecresswell_me Facebook: Zoe Cresswell LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-cresswell